PNB heist: Nine months on, 2.5 kg of jewellery recovered

TIRUCHY: After a nine-month investigation, a special police recovered about 2.5 kg of gold jewellery out of the 3.75 kg stolen from Punjab National Bank (PNB) in January 2019. The team made the recovery from Chennai and Bengaluru, where the robbers had sold the items.

On January 28 this year, a gang of robbers made a hole in one corner of a wall that led to the safety deposit locker room of the PNB branch in Bitchandavarkovil. Five lockers were broken open using gas cutters and cash and jewellery stolen. The haul amounted to 470 sovereign (3.75 kg) of gold jewellery and `19 lakh in cash. After eight months of investigation. Police caught those involved in the robbery. Recently, the police team took Suresh and Ganeshan into custody for interrogation. Based on the information provided by the accused persons, the team recovered the stolen items in Chennai and Bengaluru.

Speaking of the recovery, a senior police officer stated of the 3.75 kg of gold valuables, 1 kg each was recovered from Suresh and Ganeshan. Another 500 gm was recovered from the possession of Murugan’s relative. Police sources said the rest of the valuables are with Murugan, the mastermind behind the PNB and Lalithaa Jewellery heists. Once the police get custody of the Murugan, the rest of the stolen valuables would be recovered.